James
James *'Number': 5 *'Class': L&YR Aspinall Class 27/Hughes Class 28 2-6-0 hybrid with Fowler tender *'Designer': George Hughes *'Builder': Horwich Works *'Built': 1912/13 *'Configuration': 2-6-0, originally 0-6-0 *'Arrived on Sodor': 1946 James is a vain red mixed-traffic engine. Bio James was built by George Hughes at Horwich Works in 1915 as an 0-6-0 with wooden brakes. After his first accident he had his front sandboxes removed, was rebuilt into a 2-6-0 with a proper brake and a Fowler tender and repainted red with gold stripes and blue lining. He was troublesome when he returned, ruining Sir Topham Hatt's new top-hat with his steam and jarring his coaches so much a brake pipe leaks. He was threatened to be painted blue (which James detests), but later made the line's worst trucks behave after being given a second chance. Persona James is very proud of his paintwork. He hates pulling trucks, and believes that he should only pull coaches. He thinks himself superior to the others, and can be shallow, boastful and vain, particularly to those who appear old-fashioned, weak, slow, or dirty. This has caused him to have somewhat of a rivalry with Toby. However, on a number of occasions he has found himself in need of help from those he has insulted, and is, in the end, apologetic. James was the last engine to retain a prejudice against diesels. However, after stalling on a cold day he was rescued by the Works Diesel, and James had to admit that nothing was wrong with diesels. This appears to be one of the few lessons that has stuck. Basis In The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways it was claimed that James is based on a rebuild of a L&YR Class 27 locomotive from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and designed by George Hughes, who added a Belpaire firebox and a Schmidt superheater and extended the footplate and sandbox. However, as with most of the early Railway Series characters, this information was purely retcon. Sodor "historian" Martin Clutterbuck has pointed out that James strongly resembles an G&SWR "Austrian Goods" 2-6-0 from the Glasgow and South Western Railway, but with the addition of a Belpaire firebox. At any rate, the Reverend W. Awdry used an engine of this class to represent James on his model railway. It is possible that he rejected this prototype for James' official "biography" on the grounds that an English locomotive would be more likely to end up on Sodor. Livery James was originally painted navy-black with red lining before his accident and was given his red coat with yellow stripes and black lining to cheer him up. Sometime during the 1960s, James' black lining was repainted blue and gold. James has the number "5" painted in bright yellow with a blue border on his tender sides. In the television series, James has always been red with gold stripes and black lining, except in the tenth season episode The Green Controller, when he was painted yellow and black, like a bumblebee, on Percy's orders. Then, in the thirteenth season episode Tickled Pink, James was painted in pink! This time it was only an undercoat, though. James' twins The Mid Hants Railway repainted a Southern Railway N Class 2-6-0, No.31874, into the livery of James. The engine retained this colour scheme for many years, and participated in the Railway Series Golden Jubilee celebrations at the National Railway Museum. However, following the withdraw of the N Class, the Mid-Hants Railway quickly repainted its cousin-engine: a Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0, No.31625, into James. After the withdraw of the U Class, the N Class reprized its role as James, only wearing a face during Thomas events. The repainting of the engine, however, created a stir among railway enthusiasts who felt that it was wrong to paint a historic main line locomotive in such a garish livery. Nevertheless, the locomotive was popular with the railway's younger visitors. On the East Lancashire Railway, unrestored LMS 2MT 2-6-0 No. 46428 has been painted as James, although his face only appears during Day Out with Thomas events. Appearances Voice Actors * Michael Angelis (Thomas and the Magic Railroad; original workprints only) * Susan Roman (Thomas and the Magic Railroad) * Keith Wickham (UK; Hero of the Rails onwards) * Kerry Shale (US; Hero of the Rails onwards) * Katsuji MoriIn (Japan; first season - eighth season) * Masashi Ebara (Japan; ninth season onwards) Trivia * The Bachmann range originally depicted James with grey wheels and tender axle-boxes and red smokebox sides. * A large-scale working replica of James, along with replicas of Thomas, Percy, Harold, and Jack, was created by BBC Visual Effects for a tour in 2003. The battery powered locomotive is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest model railway engine ever built, at 2.64 x 1.5 x 6.52 metres. * In Toby's New Whistle, James revealed that he once had a three-chimed whistle. * Micheal Angeils orginally voiced James in Thomas and the Magic Railroad, but he was cut from the movie and was replaced by Susan Roman. Quotes :At last, Toby lost patience. :"James," he asked, "why are you red?" :"I am a splendid engine," answered James loftily, "ready for anything. You never see my paint dirty." :"Oh!" said Toby innocently, "that's why you once needed bootlaces; to be ready, I suppose." - A conversation between Toby and James, "Toby the Tram Engine" :"Ony wan wad think," said Douglas, "that Donal' had his accident on purrpose. I heard tell," he went on, "aboot an engine an' some tar wagons." :Gordon and Henry chuckled. :"Shut up!" said James. "It's not funny." - Douglas ribbing James, "The Twin Engines" Merchandise * ERTL (normal, metallic, and Gold Rail; discontinued) * Wooden Railway (normal, motorized, and talking) * Take-Along (normal, metallic, and lights and sounds; discontinued) * My First Thomas (normal and talking) * TOMY/TrackMaster (normal, greatest moments, talking, flipface, RC, and "Busy Bee" livery) * Hornby * Bachmann (HO and large scale) * Lionel (G scale (discontinued) and O gauge) * Tomix * My Thomas Story Library * Bandai Tecs * Take-n-Play (normal and talking) * De Agostini * Wind-up Trains * Brio (discontinued) * Pez * Mega Bloks Gallery File:JamesMkII1976.jpg|Awdry's model of James File:ThomasandtheBreakdownTrainRS3.PNG|James in his original black livery. File:JamesandtheTop-HatRS1.PNG File:ThomasandtheBreakdownTrain9.jpg File:ThomasandtheBreakdownTrain8.jpg|James crashed in a field File:TendersandTurntables8.jpg|James on the turntable File:ThomasandtheBreakdownTrain7.jpg|James is lifted by the breakdown crane File:DirtyObjects9.png|James pulls a slow goods train File:DirtyObjects18.png|James collides with the tar wagons File:DirtyObjects6.png|James and the tar wagons File:JamesandtheRedBalloon15.jpg|James and The Red Balloon File:JamesandtheRedBalloon16.jpg|James sleeping File:JamesandtheRedBalloon12.jpg File:JamesandtheRedBalloon4.jpg|James at Dryaw File:MiddleEngine8.jpg File:JackFrost11.jpg File:ThomasandtheJetEngine16.jpg File:TheGreatDiscovery87.png File:TheGreenController8.png|James in his busy bee livery File:JamesWorksItOut13.png File:JamesWorksItOut20.png|James with a CGI face File:TickledPink31.png|James in his pink undercoat File:CreakyCranky37.png File:SteamySodor29.png File:JamesintheDark7.jpg File:JameswithNameplate.png File:RareJamesnameplate.jpg Image:JamesandtheOldCoaches.PNG File:JamesPromo.jpg|A promotional image of James File:JamesSeason13promo.png|Promotional image File:JamesatKnapfordCGIpromo.jpg File:James'ModelSpecification.PNG|James's model specifications File:James'prototype.jpg|James' prototype before rebuild Merchandise Gallery File:TOMYJames.jpg|TOMY File:RCTrackmasterJames.jpg|R/C Trackmaster File:JamesGoesBuzzBuzzTrackmaster.jpg|James Goes Buzz Buzz Trackmaster File:BusyBeeJamesTrackmaster.jpg|Busy Bee Trackmaster File:ERTLJames.jpg|ERTL James File:Take-AlongJames.jpg|Take-Along James File:Take-n-PlayJames.jpg|Take-n-Play James Image:JamesWooden.jpg|LC Wooden File:MyFirstJames.jpg|My First James File:BachmannJames.jpg|Bachmann File:BachmannlargescaleJames.png|Bachmann large scale File:HornbyJames.jpg|Hornby File:Wind-upJames.jpg File:JamesStoryLibrarybook.jpg|James' Story Library book Category:North Western Railway Category:Steam locomotives Category:Tender engines